Original Items: Only One Available. This is a very nice example of a War Merit Cross KvK 1st Class in Silver with swords, manufactured by Glaser & Sohn of Dresden in South East Germany, above Czechia, complete in an original LDO box. No collection is complete without the rare LDO box, which shows moderate wear, with a lovely black leatherette exterior. Thankfully, the original hinge is still intact and works nicely, as does the original closure clip. The typical black artificial leather covering does show some rippling due to water exposure from long ago. The interior of the case is still in great shape, with a rayon / satin lined lie, and plush material lining on the bottom, with an inlet for the pin on the back of the cross. The top of the box has the distinctive interlocking LDO logo, which stands for Leistungsgemeinschaft Deutscher Ordenhersteller (Guild of German awards manufacturers).

The cross itself is a lovely mid war example in cast zinc alloy with a lovely patina, and still has most of the original silver wash present on both sides, showing some wear on the raised areas and around the edges. There is also overall oxidation due to age and use. There are still sharp details to contours and pebbles to internal cross arms.

The badge features an intact brass pinback and is maker stamped as issued with with LDO number L/58, which represents Glaser & Sohn of Dresden. The LDO, (Leistungs Gemeinschaft der Deutscher Ordenshersteller - Administration of German orders Manufacturers), was a self-governing organization formed in 1941 which regulated the manufacturing of all German awards. The firm Glaser & Sohn was partially licensed in the organization, entry number 58.

The badge is totally non magnetic, with a tapered brass alloy pin attached to a barrel hinge, which is secured on the other end by a bent flat wire catch. This is a lovely patinated example of a KVK 1st Class, complete with a rare LDO case!

The War Merit Cross (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a decoration of NSDAP Germany during the Second World War, which could be awarded to military personnel and civilians alike. By the end of the war it was issued in four degrees, and had a related civil decoration. It was created by Adolf AH in October 1939 as a successor to the non-combatant Iron Cross which was used in earlier wars. The award was graded the same as the Iron Cross: War Merit Cross Second Class, War Merit Cross First Class, and Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross. The award had two variants: with swords given to soldiers for exceptional service "not in direct connection with combat", and without swords for meritorious service to civilians in "furtherance of the war effort". As with the Iron Cross, Recipients had to have the lower grade of the award before getting the next level.

The ribbon of the War Merit Cross was in red-white-black-white-red; that was, the red and black colors being reversed from the ribbon of the World War II version of the Iron Cross. The ribbon for the War Merit Medal was similar, but with a narrow red vertical red strip in the center of the black field. Soldiers who earned the War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords wore a small crossed-swords device on the ribbon. The War Merit Cross 1st Class was a pin-backed medal worn on the pocket of the tunic (like the Iron Cross 1st Class). The ribbon of the War Merit Cross 2nd Class could be worn like the ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd Class (through the second buttonhole). Nonetheless combat soldiers tended to hold the War Merit Cross in low regard, referring to its wearers as being in 'Iron Cross Training'. The Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross was a neck decoration and worn the same way as the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross.